A new report today claiming Apple is prepping an iPhone 5S for test production in December and volume manufacturing early in 2013 is spreading like wildfire through the blogosphere. The initial source is Chinese-language publication The Commercial Times, and it’s being spread by Digitimes, the supply chain-focused publication that’s a frequent, and fairly unreliable source of rumor and speculation. But is there any way Apple could really be working towards updating a phone it just released in September?

Assuming, for a second, that these rumors have any truth to them, an iPhone 5S beginning test production in December and ramping up to full shipping volumes early next year would likely hit store shelves right around six months from when the iPhone 5 was released. Is that unprecedented? Hardly. The 4th generation iPad, which Apple unveiled alongside the iPad mini at an event in October, upset the usual pattern Apple maintains of updating its iOS hardware once a year, with annual refreshes essentially hitting like clockwork (with the exception of the iPhone 4S, which went over a year). But the latest iPad breaks with that pattern.

Not only does the newest iPad represent a deviation from the established way of releasing things, suggesting Apple could do the same thing with other products in its lineup, but it also shows what kind of changes we might expect from mid-year overhauls: improved specs, retaining the design, to take advantage of the faster pace of component development and supply pricing changes. Google updated its Nexus lineup of tablets recently, bumping storage while keeping prices the same, and citing better deals on NAND flash as the reason for doing so.

Apple’s competitors in the smartphone market don’t adhere to annual updates; Samsung, HTC and countless other Android OEMs push out new and updated phones with increasing frequency, and even iterate on old models with carrier specific variants and modified versions of the original that promise more connectivity, improved storage and more. Samsung’s Galaxy S line has enjoyed a roughly annual update cycle, but the company has also released countless other Galaxy devices during the same years over the course of which we’ve seen just six iPhones. In the past, the frequency of competitor updates never really affected Apple; now, however, Samsung has risen to become a very strong competitor with growing momentum. The Commercial Times report also indicated that Apple would be introducing new lower-priced options, which could be another sign of the company moving to product releases more like those of its competition.

But mid-cycle upgrades introduce a degree of uncertainty that could have far different effects on a company like Apple than they would on Samsung, which is known for its scattershot approach aimed at targeting every segment of the market. For Apple, whose customers anticipate and plan on yearly updates, changes that come in between could play havoc with expectations, and therefore with buying patterns. Would people wait for the ‘X’ or the ‘XS’ variant, for instance? Would a wait-and-see approach from shoppers hamper sales volumes all year round? Or would the vast majority of shoppers ignore the timeline of updates and simply buy when they needed, the way most seem to with Android devices?

This report isn’t a solid one by any means, given its sources, however, and may in fact just be timed to take advantage of the recent 4th generation iPad’s release to back up its plausibility. But it’s also not completely ridiculous, given industry trends and the pace of the mobile device market. Also, it’s worth noting that an updated iPad is also mentioned (though which version is meant to be changed isn’t clear), which would arrive around a quarter later than the iPhone 5S, indicating at least semi-annual updates for that line would be the rule going forward, too. I’ve mentioned before that Apple might actually benefit from less product line predictability, but again, take this one with ample heaping helpings of salt.

On a personal note, i already think that they are going down hill and if this is true then it's even going to be worse.

Releasing a new phone only 6 months after the previous one will really **** people off. Some people break contracts just to get the latest iPhone but doing so only 6 months after having a new contract will be much harder for people.

If they will roll out some new technology that they held from iPhone 5 just to make people buy the 5S it will be even more evil than i thought they are.

On a personal note, i already think that they are going down hill and if this is true then it's even going to be worse.

Releasing a new phone only 6 months after the previous one will really **** people off. Some people break contracts just to get the latest iPhone but doing so only 6 months after having a new contract will be much harder for people.

If they will roll out some new technology that they held from iPhone 5 just to make people buy the 5S it will be even more evil than i thought they are.

Don't see what the problem is. Not everyone has the latest iPhone - so simply replacing one model on the shelves with an enhanced model is fine. If you are (not you personally) upset over that, then it's really you that has the "must-have-latest" problem.

Quite why people think that just because they have the latest they must deny everyone else the opportunity to have an improved model I really don't know.

On a personal note, i already think that they are going down hill and if this is true then it's even going to be worse.

Releasing a new phone only 6 months after the previous one will really **** people off. Some people break contracts just to get the latest iPhone but doing so only 6 months after having a new contract will be much harder for people.

If they will roll out some new technology that they held from iPhone 5 just to make people buy the 5S it will be even more evil than i thought they are.

Give me a break! Production for all products starts months in advance! This way they can find faults and have the production streamalined in due time to have as many units as possible for launch. Regarding, keeping features away from phones. Apple always has two types of updates on its phone: The major and minor updates. The S updates are the minor ones. Besides, why do you have to buy a new phone every year. iOS works on the latest 3 latest generations of iphones. Hardware updates are upto Apple. You don't go crying to Samsung and other companies about releasing models too early. The release of the iPad 4 was important because the christmas selloff season was here and Apple was going to sell a huge chunk of hardware. Why should it sell the iPad with an outdated adaptor and have the new buyers get angry about it later next year. If Apple releases a new phone, it doesn't mean your old iphone will stop working.

Don't see what the problem is. Not everyone has the latest iPhone - so simply replacing one model on the shelves with an enhanced model is fine. If you are (not you personally) upset over that, then it's really you that has the "must-have-latest" problem.

Quite why people think that just because they have the latest they must deny everyone else the opportunity to have an improved model I really don't know.

Far from it actually, i have a BB 9810 and i'm not an apple user. My first and only iPhone was the first iPhone that apple released in 2007 (if i'm not mistaking), i used it for a year and left apple for other companies.

Personally i think that apple lost their direction. They are not that innovative anymore and with the last 2 phone releases they show exactly that. Releasing another phone few months from that in which i believe wont have to much innovation will slide the company down hill faster than they already going.

They haven't lost their direction, they now realise they don't own the markets so sitting on yearly releases with modest updates isn't going to work anymore.

There will be issues because every Apple sheep thinks they MUST HAVE every device if they don't own the latest they're not cool, so when another comes out so soon they feel cheated, personally i'll wait for the next release. i went from the 2, to 3, to 4 and then to 5 skipping the 3gs, 4s and will skip the 5s.

Apple is one of the most amazing companies... they know they can release something every 6 months now, with minor updates, and people will buy it like crazy!

Yes, they are lucky that they have a fan core that will purchase no matter what apple will release but this core will start getting smaller with time if they will continue doing what they are doing now.

I won't anymore. I am truly starting to fall out of the iSheep heard. The problem is I own SO many Apple products now that I can't just jump ship. 4 iPhones, 2 iPads, Macbook Pro, 2 Apple TV's ... man... don't know where/how to start.

I am really starting to hate my iPhone 5 though. I have had to exchange it 3 times now, also most of the apps I use still aren't updated to use the 4" screen so its useless to have the bigger screen. Battery drain is HORRIBLE on the 5 and 4s now with 6.0+.